Pedestrian zone sign: what it means

Pedestrian zone sign: a white upright sign with the words PEDESTRIAN ZONE, a red ring, the words No vehicles and a panel showing Except for loading by and a goods vehicle
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

The pedestrian zone sign marks the entrance to a street or area where vehicles are not allowed, except those shown on the lower panel.

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What does the pedestrian zone sign mean?

Know your traffic signs says the red ring in a zone entry sign prohibits all vehicles, including ridden pedal cycles. The hours of a part-time zone are shown in the panel, and exemptions in a lower panel, such as loading by goods vehicles.

Quick quiz

What does the sign at the top of this page mean?

  1. No vehicles, except bicycles pushed by hand.
  2. A street shared by people and traffic.
  3. No vehicles in the zone, except those shown.

Show answer

C. No vehicles in the zone, except those shown. It marks a pedestrian zone where vehicles are prohibited except as shown (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: pedestrian zone signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Where will you see it?

At the entrances to shopping streets and town centres, and sometimes outside schools.

What should you do?

Do not drive in unless the lower panel exempts you. Check the times shown.

What do people get wrong?

Driving in because the street looks empty. The zone may be closed to traffic at all times or at the hours shown.

Common questions

Can I cycle in a pedestrian zone?

Not where the sign prohibits all vehicles, which includes ridden pedal cycles. Some zone signs allow cycles.

How do I know when the zone ends?

A zone ends sign shows a grey version of the red ring.

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Sources

Checked on 4 November 2026 against Know your traffic signs (pedestrian zone signs) and The Highway Code rule 109.

  1. Know your traffic signs: pedestrian zone signs, GOV.UK
  2. The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK
  3. Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.

This text was written with AI help, checked against GOV.UK and approved by Fri Vei AS. Last updated .

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